‘Be transparent about Covid toll; can’t blame the new government’

TWO MADRAS HC RULINGS GO GOVT’s WAY

18.05.2021 

‘Be transparent about Covid toll; can’t blame the new government’

Chennai: Amidst allegations of under-reporting of Covid-19 deaths in Tamil Nadu, Madras high court emphasised the need for accurate reporting of such deaths to ensure adequate supply of drugs and oxygen proportionate to the severity of the spread in the state.

“No one can blame this particular government for this (since it took charge only 10 days ago). So, therefore, this government should be particularly keen in ensuring reporting of every Covid death so that the allocation (of vaccines, drugs and oxygen) is adequate and appropriate,” the first bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy said on Monday. “We are one of the leading states in the country, we are pretty educated and our health care facilities are among the best in the country, so this would be an ideal place for a case study,” the court asserted.

“We are not saying that the government is inducing it (under-reporting), maybe at the local level people feel if they under-report it would be better. Government should take steps and encourage that the reporting is accurate,” the judges said. TNN

‘Cannot interfere with the state’s lockdown decision on industries’

Chennai: In a setback to employees of automobile manufacturing and allied industries in Tamil Nadu, Madras high court has refused to interfere in the exemption granted to such units to function despite the complete lockdown implemented in the state.

“It is a decision which appears to have been taken after deliberate consideration of the present situation. It is the matter for the particular industry to look after the welfare of its employees and also to consider the prospects of the industry,” the first bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy said on Monday.

“We can only make an appeal to the industries to ensure that the best Covid protocol is maintained, please have as little staff as possible during this period to live up to the spirit of the lock down,” the bench said.

The bench made the observations on PILs moved by employee unions of Renault Nissan and Wipro Infrastructure challenging the exemption granted to the units during the lockdown. TNN